Cam-shaft-shifter locking device



March 31. 1925.

A. A. ASPLUND .CAM SHAFT SHIFTER LOCKING DEWiCE Original Fi led Feb. 17 1 2 Sneaks- Sheet 1 March 31. 1925. 1 3 1 A. A. ASPLUND cu slmrr 'snrr'rm LOCKING mmz mm me Feb. 1'1. 1920 a Sluts-Sheet 2 awe-argon AIR MAI/tuna:

Patented Mar. 31, 1925.

UNITED STATES AXEL AUGUST ASPLUND, or AUBURN, nnw x'onx,

CAM-SHAFT-SHIFTER LOCKING VDEVJiCE Application filed February 17, 1920, Serial No. 359,412. Renewed September 6, 1924.

To all whom it may concern: v

Be it known that I, AxEL AUeUsr Asr- 'LUND, citizen of Sweden, residing at Auburn, in the county of Cayuga and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cam-Shaft-Shifter Locking Devices; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the, art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to thermo dynamice and particularly to an interlocking device between the cam shaft shifter and the starting mechanism on the Diesel type of internal combustion engine.

An object of this invention is to provide an interlocking device for a cam shaft shifter to automatically lock said cam shaft shifter and other mechanisms cooperative therewith upon the movement of a starting lever in the organization described generally in my copending application Serial No. 859,414 relating to fuel valve control with connections and also in Serial'Nos. 359,414,

It is an object of this invention to provide a starting and reversing mechanism for internal combustion engines particularly of the Diesel type in which it is impossible to operate the reversing mechanism at any other than a predetermined position of the starting lever or vice versa to operate the starting mechanism except at predetermined positions of the reversing mechanism.

In marine work it is frequently desirable to have inexperienced hands attend the starting and reversing of an engine and also it frequently happens that experienced hands are careless in relation to their man ner of handling such mechanisms so that it is very desirable to provide a mechanism which automatically prevents any troubles that might happen by a lack of knowledge or carelessness on the part of the operator in reversing an engine. In the type of mechanism described in the said copending applications the reversing mechanism performs a number of very important functions and controls a number of distinct opera- 'tions, amongst which are that it raises the cam levers up clear from the cams, and slides the cam shaft over to the astern position, and opens the starting valve to intercommunicate with all the cylinders, and lowers the cam levers down again to the working position. The function of the starting lever amongst other elements is to control the admission of fuel and air into the cylinders by the control of the fuel pump and the controlof the starting valve and the control of the injection air valve and the control of the variations of the fuel valve lift. Thus it is olivious that the reversing mechanism and the starting mechanism both open certainof the valves which in the predetermined arrangement should not be opened by both mechanisms at the same time'.' As'for instance, since all the cylinders are interconnected by a manifold, when the starting valve is opened by the reversing mechanism and it is desirable to have this opening begin substantially as soon as the reversing mechanism starts in operation and to continue substantially throughout the whole of, the reversing op eration in order to quickly relieve the pressure in the cylinders, it is desirable to have this accomplished in part before the cams are fully lifted from the cam rollers and also during the course of the cam rollers returning to contact with the cams. Since, however, if the starting lever is in a position to open the admission of fuel and air during this period or if it is so that it can be so positioned, the result is apt to be that the cams will open the valves and cause a combustion in one or more cylinders and likely also the admission of high pressure air into one or more of the cylinders which will be immediately interconnected to all of the cylinders and thereby produce a counter high pressure on both sides of the crank shaft endangering the rupture of the engine. Other serious complications might result by so bringing the reversing and starting mechanism in operation at the same time as well as an obvious loss of fuel and injected air. It is an object of this invention to provide a positive and automatic lOU means for preventing any such disturbances and loss.

WVith these and other objects in View, the invention consists in the construction, the combination, the detail and arrangement of parts as hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of a Diesel engine showing the manual controls of the respective elements described in said copending applications.

Figure 2 is an enlarged view of a part of Figure 1, partly diagrammatic.

In the embodiment of this invention there is provided a hand wheel 2, which actuates a reversing rotor 3 in a preferable ratio of four to one, that is to say, four revolutions of hand wheel 2 turning rotor 3 one revolution, by comeshing gears 4: and 5 respectively aflixed relative to hand wheel 2 and rotor 3. Rotor 3 is mounted fixedly to a shaft 15, which controls a number of operations described in the said. copending applications, and rotor 3 also actuates a cam 10, which controls a shifter lever 6, the function of which also is described in the said copending applications, and which mechanisms and functions accomplish the raising of the cam levers up to clear the cams, the sliding of the cam shaft over to the astern position and opening the starting valves and lowering the cam levers down again to working position. These different functions are accomplished in predetermined relation to the angular movement of rotor 3 and there are certain of these functions in their predetermined relation which make it desirable to have the starting lever, here designated as 30, movable only during a 27 movement of rotor '3, so there are provided a pair of slots 12 and 12 in an annulus 12 which admit of a locking bar 13 mounted upon lever 30 during this 27" movement. The rotation of rotor 3 when rod 13 is in the slot 12 or 12 is prevented by guide rollers 13 and13", together with the pivotal mount 3 of rod 13 upon lever 30. In the organization described in said copending applications it is desirable that this may be accomplished when either side of rotor 3 is adjacent the bar 13. That is to say that a movement of rotor 3 through an arc of 180 reverses the operation of the engine either from ahead to astern or from astern to ahead and in either position it is possible to start the engine but in any other position than through this angle of 27 the annulus 12 blocks the path of bar 13 so that lever 30 cannot be moved a greater distance than 5, which 5 movement admits of a function described in said copending applications but which is only a small frac tion of the predetermined angular moveant of lever 30, which is preferably 53.

The movement of 27 of rotor 3 as herein provided is the movement from starting to working position. That is to say after the cams have been put in a reversed position in the Diesel engine it is desirable to start the engine on air alone at a pressure varying from 90 to 300 pounds, and after so starting the engine on this air alone to then substitute fuel which is accomplished by turning back the starting lever 30 to regulate the running of the engine on combustion. This should be preceded by the movement of rotor 3 from starting to working position or the said 27, which movement of rotor 3 lifts the starting levers of the starting air valves from engagement with their respective cams and renders the valves inoperative by the cams so that the starting air is no longer admitted. Starting lever 30 controls many mechanisms specifically described in said copending applications hereinbefore'referred to. These may be here enumerated functionally as mechanisms for controlling respectively the injection air; the starting air; the stroke of the fuel pumps, and the control of the fuel valves lift. These various mechanisms are interrelated as fully described in my copending application, SerialNo. 359,414 so as to be controlled by a common lever 30, 95 all in a correct predetermined order. This order is diagrammatically illustrated in Fig.

2. Rod 13 as described cannot move beyond the said 5 movement of lever 30 except in the said positioning of rotor 3 nor can rotor 109 3 move beyond the said 27 movement, after lever 30 has passed the said 5 movement. Thus, this locking mechanism prevents the operation of the reversing mechanism when the starting lever is in a predetermined un- 1 desirable position and also prevents the operation of the starting lever when the reversing mechanism is in a predetermined undesirable position.

Claims? 1. In an internal combustion engine, a rotor for operating a reversing mechanism, a lever for operation a starting mechanism and means whereby the movement of either of said members will lock the other.

2. In an internal combustion engine having a reversing mechanism and a starting mechanism, a rotor operative of said reversing mechanism, a lever operative of said starting mechanism and a locking mem- 120 ber operated by said lever adapted to coact with said rotor whereby the operation of either said rotor or lever will lock the other of said members.

3. In an internal combustion engine 125 having a reversing mechanism and a starting mechanism, a rotor having an annulus with a transverse slot, a lever, a bolt pivotally carried by the lever adapted to abut against the annulus of the rotor and means for guiding said bolt to prevent a transmember, a bolt pivoted thereon adapted to verse movement of said abutting end. abut against said cylindrical surface and 4:. An interlocking device comprising 1n guides to prevent the movement of said bolt 10' combination, a rotary member having a except radially of said rotary member 5 cylindrical abutment surface and a slot in through said slot.

said surface transverse the direction of rota- In testimony whereof I aflix my signature. tion, a lever pivoted adjacent the rotary AXEL AUGUST ASPLUND. 

